If you are an owner of a service station, you may be wondering how you can improve your operation to the point where you are the preferred option for local consumers. By emulating industry leaders such as Petroleum Wholesale LP, you can make big improvements rather quickly.
However, there are many other tips that can help you improve the fortunes of your gas station, some of which we will divulge below.
It all starts at the pump
For many people, their experience with a service station begins and ends at the gas pump. As such, all operations surrounding the delivery of motor fuel should run smoothly.
Where permitted by law, service stations should offer full serve as an option, where an attendant pumps gas, cleans windows, and accept payment without the driver having to get out of their vehicle.
At stations where self-serve is the only option, pay-at-the-pump should always be available. These units should have data entry keypads that work properly, and digital displays that can be easily read even in extreme weather.
A wide variety of snacks and food
When a driver stops to get fuel for their vehicle, that may not be the only need they are looking to fulfill. After driving hundreds of miles since their last stop, it is likely that they will be hungry as well.
If they are only looking for a small snack to tide them over until they reach their destination, offering them a wide variety of well-loved snack in your convenience store will help them quiet their hunger pangs quickly.
If they are seeking a more substantial meal, having fast food outlets or even a quick serve restaurant on the premises will fuel their body up for the remainder of their journey.
Bathrooms that are sparkling clean
There is nothing that makes customers feel more unwelcome that a bathroom that resembles a pig’s sty. When you have a strict regimen for bathroom cleanliness in place though, it will make a huge difference in how they perceive your operation.
While it’s understandable that it can be hard to keep things immaculately clean all the time, making the initial effort to at least keep things respectable will eventually lead to restrooms so clean that people might even rave about them on review sites like Yelp.
Friendly employees that treat customers (and each other) like human beings
Of all the components that go into creating a successful service station, there is none that is more important than the human factor. The difference that a smile makes may surprise you, as it can brighten the day of someone that is not having such a great one.
Moreover, having employees that approach their job with an attitude of friendliness towards their co-workers will create a work environment that makes it easy to retain high-quality talent.
Embracing an attitude of continuous improvement
All of the above mentioned points are simply suggestions to help you begin to improve your operation. However, the secret sauce that can transform your service station to one of the best ones in your territory is the principle of Kaizen.
A Japanese management system dedicated to making small incremental improvements, it accepts the reality that flipping from one extreme to another in a short period of time is an unrealistic endeavor.
However, it also recognizes that improving in small ways every day can make a huge impact over the medium and long-term.
If you focus on improving one aspect of your operation one day, and then improving others in the ones that follow, it won’t be long before you have a business that will make your competitors envious.
